Various ambulatory medical devices are known for treating and/or monitoring patients at a remote site away from the caregiver's or clinician's office. One example of an ambulatory medical device is a drug delivery device, such as a drug pump, for providing periodic or continuous drug delivery to the patient when the patient is away from the caregiver's office. Ambulatory drug pumps are shown for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,559,038, 5,531,697 and 5,695,473, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference.
Certain drugs rarely achieve their maximum therapeutic action through conventional injection techniques. Many drugs reach their full potential only through precise delivery over an extended period of time. With controlled drug infusion through a drug pump, the drug can be given at a precise rate that will keep the drug concentration within the therapeutic margin and out of the toxic range. Ambulatory drug pumps can provide appropriate drug delivery to the patient at a controllable rate which does not require frequent medical attention and which allows the patient to leave the hospital or caregiver's office.
Ambulatory drug pumps and a patient's usage of ambulatory drug pumps should be monitored to ensure the maximum benefit to the patient and to ensure the patient's safety. For example, one concern is that delivery of the drug is not interrupted by a blockage in the tubing that delivers the drug to the patient. Blockage of this tubing by kinking or pinching, for example, may interfere with the accurate administration of the drug to the patient. Another concern is that the drug cassette may become disconnected from the drug pump, also interfering with the administration of the proper amount of drug to the patient.
Components used on an ambulatory drug pump may be used by the patient for extended periods of time and may be transported regularly subject to some bumping and jostling during use. One concern is that all components of the drug pump are reliable and durable. Another concern is that the occlusion pressure detection threshold is appropriate for the intended application of the drug pump, and that the drug pump functions appropriately for the intended application. Another concern is that drug pump components are preferably inexpensive to repair when necessary. Further concerns relate to the cost of manufacture and maintenance of the drug pump.
There is a need for a drug pump system which addresses these concerns and other concerns.